Naophorous Statue of the Finance Officer and Overseer of Fields, Horwedja
Unknown Artist
Naophorous (naos.bearing) statues show the subject holding a naos, or shrine, containing an image of a deity, in this case the god Ptah of Memphis. These statues were very popular during the Late Period. Almost invariably they are of hard stone, made to last for eternity. As finance officer under Darius I, Horwedja was in a good position to afford such a monument. Darius I was the second Persian king to rule over Egypt and the only one who seems to have had a genuine appreciation of the country. Egypt prospered under his rule, and the arts flourished.
Credit: Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
521-486 BCE
Graywacke
43.0 x 14.0 x 23.2 cm
1920.1978
Image and text: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2024
Where you'll find this
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Permanent collection